Nothing mediocre about Rocco's driving

US TOUR/News round-up:Ireland's leading world- ranked golfers - Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley - are among 62 players, including eight past champions, who are fully exempt from having to qualify for this year's US Open, which takes place at Bethpage's Black Course in Farmingdale, New York, on June 13th-16th.

All three qualified for exempt status because of their top-15 positions on last year's European Tour Order of Merit.

When entries closed late last week, the United States Golf Association had accepted a record 8,466 entries. In all, 8,839 entries were received - but 371 were rejected because the entrant had played poorly in past qualifying rounds or had a handicap higher than the permitted 1.4.

The Irish trio would also have qualified by a second avenue - being in the world's top-50 - which is determined by standings on May 27th. Tiger Woods is the most qualified player in the field, being exempt under seven different categories. Prize money for the championship has been increased to $5.5 million, with $1 million going to the winner.

Richie Coughlan, meanwhile, could yet manage to get into the field for this week's Compaq Classic at English Turn in New Orleans. After a top-10 finish on the Buy.Com Tour two weeks ago, Coughlan missed the cut in the Greater Greensboro Classic on the full tour last weekend and, with his medical exemption invitations drying up, the former Walker Cup player needs to win some prize money on his remaining special exemptions if he is to secure a full playing card for the secondary tour for the rest of the season. He is third reserve to get into the tournament at English Turn this week.

As a precautionary measure, Coughlan is also entered for the Virginia Beach Open on the Buy.Com tour, where Keith Nolan, playing his third tournament in three weeks, is scheduled to be in action.

Rocco Mediate secured his fifth victory on the US Tour - and his second at Forest Oaks - by winning the Greater Greensboro Classic by three shots from Mark Calcavecchia on Sunday. Mediate held his nerves together while battling 30-mile per hour winds and a shaky swing to shoot a closing round 71.

The $684,000 top prize moved Mediate's earnings this season to $1.48 million and shot him from 21st up to sixth position on the money list.

"Winning twice here is cool because this is a really hard golf course. The driver swings I made were the best driver swings I may have ever made in that type of situation. I didn't miss a fairway. I knew if I did I was going to lose because if Calcavecchia gets on one of those binges, I'm out of here."

Calcavecchia's 93 putts equalled the US Tour record for fewest putts in a 72-hole event, matching the record of Kenny Knox in the 1989 Heritage Classic.

But his putting statistics were somewhat deceiving because he hit just 50 per cent of greens in regulation over the four days of the tournament, which meant he had plenty of short chips and shots from the fringe.

"I must have putted 10 times in four days from an inch of the green," he conceded.